After that failure Zelensky should have come to terms because they had lost the initiative, the sanctions had failed, and as everyone knew, Ukraine was always going to lose a continuing war of attrition against Russia.
But Biden and the EU/UK kept encouraging him to fight on and more importantly kept the money flowing.
And so now, with over a million more Ukrainians dead, Zelensky is going to be forced to take Russia's terms anyway.
After the Alaska meeting with Putin Trump made it clear to Zelensky and the Europeans that a ceasefire was not going to solve anything and what Ukraine needed for a real peace was to deal with the Russians, not the US or the Europeans.
Trump told Europeans that peace could come quickly if Zelensky hands over all of Donbass to Russia, including areas currently not controlled by the Russian Armed Forces, - NYT
In exchange, Putin offered a ceasefire along the current lines and a written promise not to attack Ukraine or Europe anymore.
Macron, together with Starmer and Merz, will hold another meeting of the "coalition of the willing" via video call on Sunday, — France Press. They will discuss the framework of the discussion on peace in Ukraine.
Trump seems to have made the decision that the only way to stop the conflict is to agree to Putin's basic demands and he's right.
Even if the US decided to send troops they would probably not win and just get caught up in a long running disaster far worse than Vietnam.
Zelensky will agree or lose US aid and Ukraine can't go it alone. And it doesn't matter what the Europeans think because they can't carry Ukraine on their own.
The European leadership are powerless, the European and US populations are not interested, and Ukraine itself is nearly out of manpower after years of forced mobilisation.
Next up Zelensky goes on a begging mission to Washington on Monday but, as with the tele-confrence previous when Zelensky needed to be sitting beside Merz, he now will be taking NATO leader Mark Rutte with him for support (or to stop him doing anything stupid like last time).
Trump is known for flip-flopping but I think this decision is too big and was made in committee with the top people in the Trump admin and I doubt it will be changed to any great degree.
As Blinken kept saying, the decision to keep fighting remains with Zelensky, it still does but for the first time it will be without US money and I suspect that will be the deciding factor as to when the inevitable actually happens and Zelensky calls a halt.
He might try to limp along for a while on the EU money alone but it just won't be the same (millions instead of billions).
Besides, those at the top syphoning off the cream will be packing their bags and the Ukrainian people themselves have obviously had enough (recent Gallop poll).
Monday will be the beginning of the end.
TRUMP: NO MORE CEASEFIRES, End This War /Lt Col Daniel Davis
